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Rare Book and Manuscript Library Sy Syna -
Seymour Syna Papers Ms Coll/Syna
Papers, 1955 - 1994
17 linear feet (ca. 5,000 items in 11 ms boxes and 6 flat boxes)
Biography: "I will review any play at any time except Shabbat..." So said Sy Syna to his editor at Backstage in 1993. It fairly well describes his passion and the bulk of his employment: theatrical criticism and dramaturgy.
Born 1929 in Ellenville NY, he graduated from Bronx High School of Science in 1946. Later he received his BA from University of Arkansas finally attending Columbia University School of the Arts finishing with his EdD at Columbia University Teacher's College.
His adulthood was spent doing exactly what he wanted to, teaching theater in the NYC public school system including City College and working as a theater critic for The New York Tribune.
Married for five years to psychotherapist Kathleen Joan Earthrowl, he had two children. He died on August 3, 2000 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Summary: Mostly ephemera: off and off-off Broadway theater publicity. In addition there are clippings from his reviews and a small collection of correspondence.
Finding Aids: Contents list, 7 pages
Restrictions on Access: Available for faculty, students, or researchers engaged in scholarly or publication projects
Restrictions on Use: Permission to publish any material from the collection must also be obtained in writing from the Director of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library
Provenance: Bequest of Seymour Syna
Processing History: Processed by Michael Stone
Microfilm Information: No material on microfilm.
Physical Location: Out of sequence at the following location: 14th floor, aisle 8, East. The collection includes six oversize manuscript boxes in the 15th floor cage, in numerical sequence.
RLIN ID: NYCR01-A
Organization of the Papers
Correspondence page 3
--Complaint Letters page 3
Manuscripts pages 3 - 5
--Dramaturgy page 3
--Articles by Syna page 3
--College Materials page 3
--Curriculum page 3
--University Notebook page 3
--Street Theater page 4
--Unidentified Notes pages 3 & 4
--One Acts by Others page 4
--Playscripts by Others page 4
--Screenplay page 4
--Playscripts by Others pages 4 - 5
Documents pages 4 & 5
--Prize Applications page 5
--Artists' Rights page 5
Printed Material pages 5 - 7
--Ephemera page 5
--Soap Opera Materials page 6
--Theatrical Publicity page 6
--Newsletters page 6
--Drama Critics Associations page 6
--Off Broadway page 6
--Magazines and other Publications page 6
--New York Theatre Review page 7
--Newspapers pages 6 & 7
Correspondence
Box 5 Folder 1 General Correspondence
--Complaint Letters
Box 5 Folder 7 Complaint Letters for Sy Syna
Manuscripts
--Dramaturgy
Box 1 Folder 1 University Dramaturgy Book
--Articles by Syna
Box 5 Folder 6 Photocopies of Articles by Sy Syna
Box 8 Folder 2 Original drafts of articles by Sy Syna
Box 8 Folder 2 Original drafts of articles by Sy Syna
--College Materials
Box 7 Folder 1 Bronx Community College materials
--Curriculum
Box 8 Folder 1 Course Curriculum
--University Notebook
Box 7 Folder 2 Columbia University Notebook
--Street Theater
Box 8 Folder 3 & 4 Writings on Street Theater
--Unidentified Notes
Box 7 Folder 3 Unattached Notes
--One Acts by Others
Box 7 Folders 5 - 8 One Act Plays by various writers
--Playscripts by Others
Box 10 Folder 1 The People vs. Ranchman by Elisabeth Marton
Box 10 Folder 2 Cyrano by Judith Dvorkin based on the play by
Rostand as translated by E.W. Dvorkin
ca. 1964
Box 10 Folder 3 The Tempest by William Shakespeare as made into
a workbook by Sy Syna
ca. 1964
Box 10 Folder 34 Hamlet by William Shakespeare the Living
Shakespeare edition
ca. 1964
--Screenplay
Box 10 Folder 5 Lost and Found by R.F. Barash
ca. 1976
--Playscripts by Others
Box 10 Folder 6 Britannicus an adaptation for actors by Robert
Clayton Casto
ca. 1962
Box 10 Folder 7 One act plays: The Cat Box by Howard
Reynolds; Money Can Buy Anything But Success
by Lou Antonio
ca. 1962
Documents
--Prize Applications
Box 7 Folder 4
Prize Applications
--Artists' Rights
Box 8 Folder 6
Documents Pertaining to Theatrical Rights
Printed
--Ephemera
Box 2 Folders 1 - 3 Ephemeral Theatrical Publicity
Box 3 Folders 1 - 3 Ephemeral Theatrical Publicity
Box 4 Folders 1 & 2 Ephemeral Theatrical Publicity
Box 5 Folders 3 - 5 Ephemeral Theatrical Publicity
Box 6 Folders 2 - 4 Ephemeral Theatrical Press
Box 8 Folders 7 & 8 Ephemeral Theatrical Publicity
--Soap Opera Materials
Box 6 Folder 5 Ephemeral Soap Opera Publicity
--Theatrical Publicity
Box 11 Folders 1 - 4 Ephemera
--Newsletters
Box 5 Folder 2 The Passing Show The Newsletter of the Shubert Archive
--Drama Critics Associations
Box 6 Folder 1
Materials from drama critics associations
--Off Broadway
Box 8 Folder 5 Off Broadway News Releases
--Magazines and other Publications
Box 9 Folder 1 The San Francisco Mime Troupe: The First Ten Years by
R.G. Davis; Tulane Drama Review A study of the Problems of the European Theatre by Paula De Caro; Various ephemeral theatrical brochures; The 4th International Student Festival of the Open Theatre
Box 9 Folder 2 Kabuki materials including Japanese postcards
Box 9 Folder 2 Copies of Applause from the Denver Center for the
Performing Arts
ca. 1996
--New York Theatre Review
Box 9 Folder 3 Contains Sy Syna's article Street Theatre in America
January 1979
Box 9 Folder 4 Contains Sy Syna's article The Many Faces of Off-Off
Broadway
September 1979
--Newspapers
--Small Press
Ms Flatbox Series 223 The Other Paper ca. 1980 Chapter One Published
by the Greater New York Chapter of Anta ca. 1962
--Back Stage
Ms Flatbox Series 224 Copies of the newspaper in which Sy Syna has
made contributions
ca. 1993
Ms Flatbox Series 225 Copies of the newspaper in which Sy Syna has
made contributions
ca. 1993
Ms Flatbox Series 226 Copies of the newspaper in which Sy Syna has
made contributions
ca. 1993
--New York Tribune
Ms Flatbox Series 227 Copies of the newspaper in which Sy Syna has
made contributions
ca. 1980
Ms Flatbox Series 228 Copies of the newspaper in which Sy Syna has
made contributions
ca. 1980
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